Abstract
This paper summarizes the results of a study testing the idea that "System
Dynamics" techniques can be applied to gauging the effects of manpower
application on drilling performance. The techniques discussed here are traditional
engineering modelling techniques that have lately been applied to management
and petroleum problems, and hold promise of broad applicability in drilling
management. The specific problem of manpower planning was chosen as a test
case for other drilling applications.

The concept behind these techniques
is to quantity the behavior of the system describing the specific problem
at hand. In this way, the consequences of assumptions about a process are
explicitly tested. The manpower planning model described here is the result
of an iterative process, whereby the model's basic form and predictions were
compared with actual results. The scope, purpose, and benefits are described
on the following pages. The study showed that System Dynamics techniques are
useful tools for planning drilling manpower requirements.